Those who lost their lives in workplace accidents
02.08.2019
Occupational Health and Safety Council (İSİG), a worker-oriented network aiming for healthy and secured work conditions has published a report about the lost lives caused by occupational accidents in the July period. According to the ‘’We die while working shoulder to shoulder in factories, workshops, and bureaus’’ sub-report, the number of workers who lost their lives in occupational homicides in July was at least 163. At the same time, the number of people who lost their lives in the first seven months exceeded the number of 1000. In the report, there is also indicated that 70 migrants and refugees have died in the first seven months of 2019 while being stated that ‘’There occurs a rise in the occupational homicides regarding the ‘detected’ migrants and refugees when we view the situation from year basis.’’
Migrant Solidarity Network’s statement
02.08.2019
According to Gazete Duvar, Migration Solidarity Network has made a statement issuing a call for the deportation of refugees to be suspended. In the report, there has been enunciated that the recently ascending deportations plainly threaten all refugee groups and insecure their lives and futures even more.
12.474 irregular migrants were sent off from Istanbul
Governorship of Istanbul carried out an action on the fight against irregular migration between the dates of July 12th-31st in the framework of the counseling services aiming to unregistered employment prevention, Syrians registered to the other provinces, and supervision operations on workplace plackets. According to the statement made by the Governorship on August 1, 2019, in this context, 12 thousand 474 foreign national immigrants who were irregular migrants were transferred to the provinces where Removal Centers are located. In the same period, 2 thousand 630 Syrians who were not registered in any province were sent to Temporary Accommodation Centers.
Syrians in Turkey
31.07.2019
BBC News Turkish has published a news article under the title of ‘’What do we know about the Syrians in Turkey?’’ The proportion of Syrians to the population in Kilis is 81.31 percent… According to the data, which has been regularly updated by the Directorate General of Migration Management starting from 25 July 2019, the number of registered Syrians in Turkey is 3.639.284… The number of Syrian males living in Turkey is 1.970.516, whereas Syrian women constitute the number of 1.668.768… The irregular migrations of Syrians, which was stopped in 2019, is 16.849… The number of Syrians that are living in temporary refugee centres is 87.464… The cities where the Syrians are most populous are especially Istanbul; then the others are Gaziantep, Hatay, Şanlurfa, Adana…
Source: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-49150143
A statement from Mr Ayaz, General Director of Migration Management
31.07.2019
According to AA, General Director of Migration Management Abdullah Ayaz has put a commentary concerning the ongoing irregular migration inspections in İstanbul that ‘’There exists no process of surveillance, repatriation centres, and deportation.’’
Severe sanctions to the migrants in informal employment
30.07.2019
Governor of Istanbul Mr. Yerlikaya, who made statements about migration issue to Akşam News, has denoted that acute sanctions concerning the illicit working issue of migrants will be implemented after August 26th, while saying that ‘’The number of illicit workers among the 547.000 is more than 100.000. We will not tolerate anyone exploiting these refugees. The employers engaging with misappropriation may be imposed serious punishments. If we confirm that a working refugee is uninsured, there will be austere sanctions in force until August 26th. We are giving warnings to the workplaces about this issue. And, we will continue our warnings until August 25th. However, we will implement fines to these wrongdoing workplaces on August 26th.’’
Source: https://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/kayit-disi-gocmen-icin-c226-agustosmilat-olacak/haber-993386
Syrians and false facts
29.07.2019
Sabah News has interviewed with Professor Doctor of Sociology Department Yusuf Adıgüzel, who is studying on immigration field, due to the dissemination of the false news related to Syrians in social media, and it has asked the ‘’false facts’’ about this issue.
In the news article, it has been highlighted the truths stipulated by the law, such as the impossibility of repatriation for registered Syrians, no defined salary for Syrians, the subjecting to the equivalent conditions for entrance to university with other foreign nationalities, no earning of scholarship, no granted priority to them for the health services, no eligibility to enfranchisement unless they are the citizen of Republic of Turkey.
Source: https://www.sabah.com.tr/galeri/turkiye/suriyeliler-hakkinda-dogrubilinen-yanlislar
No deportation to the ones in temporary protection status
28.07.2019
According to AA, The Ministry of Interior Süleyman Soylu has made statements to journalists on his visit to the Kahramanmaraş Temporary Refugee Center. Soylu has signified that the recent event carried out by Istanbul is affiliated with the issue of irregular and illegal migration while remarking that ‘’Any Syrian who is under temporary protection status, any foreigner who is in our country with the international protection status, or any person who holds a residence permit cannot be subjected to the deportation, this is out of the question, and it is unacceptable.’’
Press briefing for Syrians and a tumult…
27.07.2019
According to the Evrensel News, the Governorship of Istanbul decision’s of sending
off the unregistered Syrian refugees in the city has been protested by the
ÖZGÜRDER, Refugee Rights Association, MAZLUMDER and Association of
Lawyers. These institutions gathered around the Saraçhane Park in the Fatih district
has arranged a press release. During the briefing, a group has intended to attack the
demonstrators. In addition to that the police applied to tear gas and detained two
persons.
Resource: https://www.evrensel.net/haber/383791/suriyeli-multeciler-icin-yapilanaciklamaya-
saldiri-girisimi
OPINIONS-INTERPRETATIONS
Syrians, repatriation and integration…
01.08.2019
Voice of America has interviewed IGAM President Metin Çorabatır about the
decision of sending off Syrians who has no registration in Istanbul to other provinces.
While expressing that interpreting the Ministry of Interior’s decision as a policy
alteration would be faulty, Çorabatır has stated that the actual policy change should
be handled in the contexture of ‘’integration. Çorabatır has said that ‘’The decision of
constraining the Syrians into their registered provinces is not applicable. Even
though Syrians become sent off to their registered cities, they will again migrate to
the metropolis such as Istanbul with the reason for employment after a while’’.
Resource: https://www.amerikaninsesi.com/a/turkiye-suriyeli-multeciler-birlikteyasam-
uyum/5025285.html
Immigration problem, refugee status, integration endeavours
30.07.2019
In her article grappling with the removal of Syrians and the organised demonstrations
countering this execution, Gazete Duvar Author Berrin Sönmez has displayed her
commentary that ‘’Even if it is too late, the immediate implementation of the
integration and social inclusion policies which should be urgently systematized would
help to solve the problems before they get deeper. We should keep in our mind that
this geography was an age-long immigration path. It preserves the same functionality
in our contemporary area too. We are all migrants. We are the descendants of the
ones who had settled by migrating from somewhere.’’
Resource: https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/yazarlar/2019/07/30/goc-sorunu-multecistatusu-
uyum-cabasi/
The dispute of refugees
30.07.1029
Global Milliyet Author Sami Kohen has penned an opinion column titled ‘’The dispute
of refugees’’. While he states that the primary cause for the emergence of antirefugees
fluxion is economical, Kohen calls attention to the integration and
cohesiveness issue by saying that ‘’Turkey, which has hosted innumerable refugees
in its territories after the ‘’open-door’’ policy eight years ago, is nowadays confronting
with the reality that majority of these people will become ‘permanent’. From now on,
the issue has diverged from ‘’how to get rid of the refugee burden’’ to ‘’how to
integrate them into society’’.
Resource: http://www.milliyet.com.tr/yazarlar/sami-kohen/siginmacitartismasi-
6008131
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Denmark applies to the UN to receive refugees
31.07.2019
According to AA News, the new government has affirmed its readiness to accept
refugees from the UN quota by applying to the United Nations High Commissioner
For Refugees (UNHCR). Mattias Tesfaye, Minister for Immigration and Integration,
has indicated in his press statement that there is uncertainty for the country to
receive how many refugees this year but they will start accepting 500 refugees
annually beginning from the following year.
Resource: https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/dunya/2019/07/31/danimarka-siginmacikabul-
etmek-icin-bmye-basvurdu/
*This page is translated from Turkish to English by İGAM volunteer Şevval Demiç.
